The events that rounded off Grown-ish Season 4 carried plenty of emotional weight, as this episode brought the curtain down on a major phase of the series. Rather than just highlighting the group’s graduation, it also marked the departure of six main cast members, including Francia Raisa and Chloe Bailey.
Giving long-time viewers a sense that something was truly coming to a close. Things didn’t unfold the way fans may have pictured when the finale approached. Instead of eloping with Aaron Jackson (Trevor Jackson) to Africa or making it to her graduation,.
A pretend party turns into a real goodbye for the crew (Photo: Grown-ish Season 4/ABC Signature)Zoey Johnson (Yara Shahidi) found herself in a different situation entirely. The direction the episode took was unexpected, yet it offered a fitting close to the chapter for Zoey and her longtime crew.
To understand why Zoey never made it to the ceremony, there’s a need to take a closer look at how events played out in this episode of Grown-ish on ABC.
Grown-ish ending: A missed graduation and a lot of goodbyes
Rather than the big sendoff some imagined, Zoey’s storyline took a turn that landed her on the rooftop of the dorm where the group once lived, during a pretend graduation party organized for Vivek (Jordan Buhat).
Once the celebration wound down, she and Luca (Luka Sabbat) lingered to discuss matters concerning their fashion line. During their talk, Luca confessed that he had turned down a business offer from an investor who wanted to make the designs more commercial.
That revelation upset Zoey even more because she had skipped a trip to South Africa with Aaron to stay back and build the line with Luca. Their disagreement became intense, and before they knew it, they had both fallen asleep on the roof.
When they woke up, Luca told Zoey to go ahead with the investor if she believed in that direction for the brand. Before she had the chance to make any decision, their friends came back and found them. That was how Zoey ended up missing her graduation — stuck on a rooftop with Luca.
It was also likely the final moment the group shared all together.
Difficult departures and the road ahead
A heartfelt conversation with her dad, Dre Johnson (Anthony Anderson), helped Zoey reach the decision to pursue her fashion career fully. After that moment, the story jumped forward in time to show her based in New York City, chasing her dreams, though still thinking about Aaron.
Luca chooses art over profit in a final heart-to-heart (Photo: Grown-ish Season 4/ABC Signature)Eventually, Aaron showed up in New York, giving Zoey the surprise of her life and bringing them back together. As for the rest of the group, they were each shown moving forward with their lives in different ways. With six of the original characters now exiting, the next season will take on a new shape.
However, the door hasn’t been closed on them completely, as they are expected to return now and then. The showrunners, Zakiyyah Alexander and Courtney Lilly, addressed this in a message: “Francia, Emily, Chloe, Halle, Luka, and Jordan will always be family to the ‘-ish’ universe.
What’s coming next isn’t about saying goodbye. We’re expanding things, and there will always be room for them to come back.” Though changes are coming in the next season of Grown-ish, the way this one wrapped provided a heartfelt and fitting way to close this chapter.
